Afghan refugees in the UK celebrate their birthdays on the 1st of January. This is the date of birth the Home Office assigns to them on arrival in the country.
My understanding about the reasons why is that the exact date of birth is not something Afghans attach much importance to.
This is especially true of remote rural areas of Afghanistan, where keeping paper records is not high on the agenda.
Unaccompanied child asylum seekers who arrive in the UK usually know what age they are, as this is the information their parents are likely to have given them, but they do not know the day or the month they were born. The 1st of January is given to them as a simplified, easy to remember practical date.
As a result of this, a lot of Afghans in the UK send Happy Birthday to All of Us messages on the first day of the year.
This gives our family a great reason to end the Christmas season with a veritable feast at Watan restaurant in Tooting every year.
It grants us one extra day before the New Year’s resolutions kick in, because there is no point in starting the New Year New Abs health drive hours before consuming Watan Family Special Mixed Grill.
After that, there really is nowhere to hide, and the resumption of real life looms big on the horizon.
Off to the gym now.
Ania Heasley 